NYTVF presents: Xbox LIVE Originals Contest

The "Xbox LIVE Originals" contest invites a wide range of artists and Xbox users to create a 5 to 15-minute pilot episode introducing an original television series. The pilots may be live-action, animated or both. The winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 deal with Xbox LIVE to create a six-episode series based on the short pilot. Get more details about the contest.

PGP-NYTVF Comedy Talent Search

The New York Television Festival and Procter & Gamble Productions are holding a nationwide talent search to create a new ensemble cast of comic performers. The performers will be invited to form the inaugural "Procter & Gamble Productions Players" and will appear in a new TV pilot recorded live at the 2007 NYTVF in September.

The United States will be divided into three regions: East (Eastern Time Zone), Central (Central and Mountain Time Zones), and West (Pacific Time Zone, Alaska and Hawaii). To enter the competition, performers in all three regions are invited to record a sketch comedy video running 2 to 4 minutes in length. Each entry must include a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 performers.

A combination of user ratings on MSN's Soapbox and the opinions of an industry panel will determine a winning sketch in each of the three regions. The six to fifteen performers in the three sketches will be flown to Manhattan during the 2007 NYTVF and will be invited to form the inaugural Procter & Gamble Productions Players. Once they arrive, members will be shuffled from their original teams into three new groups. These groups have 48 hours to create and rehearse three new comedy sketches. At the end of the second day, the troupe will star in a live performance for TV executives and industry attendees of the NYTVF. As part of the performance, the regional winning teams will perform the sketches they submitted to the contest, and the shuffled teams will perform their three new sketches. This live performance will be paired with rehearsal footage and backstage interviews to comprise The Procter & Gamble Productions Comedy Hour, a new TV pilot produced by Procter & Gamble Productions and the New York Television Festival.

Get more information on the contest and watch the official sketch entries.